Inspector general's office issues Laquan McDonald shooting report

A screen shot from the dashcam video of the Laquan McDonald shooting in October 2014.

(AP)—Chicago's inspector general has delivered a report on the fatal 2014 police shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald, a police spokesman confirmed today.

Spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said the department was reviewing the report and will respond, but didn't know how long the process would take. A spokeswoman for Inspector General Joseph Ferguson refused to comment.

The department also announced the retirement of Deputy Chief David McNaughton, who determined the shooting by Officer Jason Van Dyke complied with department policy. That finding was harshly criticized when police dashcam video of the shooting was released in November under a judge's order.

The video contradicted accounts by officers on the scene that the teenager lunged threateningly in their direction. McDonald, who was carrying a knife but walking away from officers, was shot 16 times.

Van Dyke has been charged with first-degree murder. His lawyer says Van Dyke acted properly and resorted to deadly force because he feared for his life.

The department's announcement about McNaughton's retirement makes no mention of the McDonald case.

ANOTHER CPD DEPARTURE

John Escalante, another senior member of the police department, who served as interim superintendent during the upheaval over the McDonald shooting, is leaving to become police chief at Northeastern Illinois University.

The school said First Deputy Superintendent Escalante will assume the post Sept. 7.

Escalante served as interim superintendent for four months after Mayor Rahm Emanuel fired Garry McCarthy. That firing came shortly after the release of the video in November, which showed a white officer shooting the 17-year-old McDonald 16 times.

Escalante applied to be the permanent superintendent but the job went instead to Eddie Johnson in something of a surprise move following a national search.

Northeastern Illinois University President Sharon Hahs said in a statement that Escalante "has a national reputation in the field of law enforcement for his experience, integrity and leadership."